In 2010, Donnelly supported the Hyde Amendment of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits federal funding from being used on abortions other than in cases of incest and rape. In 2015, he voted for reallocating funds from Planned Parenthood to local Community Health Centers throughout the state of Indiana. He also voted to support the ban on abortions after 20 weeks.

Senator Joe Donnelly is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame undergraduate school and the Law School. He lives with his wife Jill in Grainger, Indiana. They have two children, Molly and Joe, Jr.